Unitarians/Racism

QuestionDear Jim
I was at a UU church in New york and one of the member told me that the reason he join the UU was because mainstream Christianity was gear more toward white or European member. Is this true that Christianity is gear more toward a certain race?
Thank you

AnswerCalvin,

I have met plenty of African-American Christians in the United States and I know that there are many non-white Christians throughout the world. I have not heard a Unitarian-Universalist express the view that Christianity was geared more towards white or European. I think that this view is very uncommon among UUs.

People tend to attend congregations where they are comfortable. Americans are more segregated on Sundays that at any other time. We miss out on a lot of benefits as a result. I think that most Unitarian-Universalists embrace diversity and welcome people of all ethnic backgrounds. In fact, I expect that most UUs wish that their congregations were more diverse.

Unitarian-Universalist congregations draw upon other religious traditions than just Christianity. These other religious traditions come from many non-white non-European cultures. I don't think this means that we are more geared towards non-white non-European people. It does mean that we are more geared towards people who desire to draw on traditions outside their own experiences.